Filling apparatuses for and methods of filling gathered tubular cases with pasty material, in particular with sausage meat, are known in the state of the art. Apparatuses are previously known for industrial sausage production, in which a tubular case to be filled is applied to a filling tube in an automated procedure in a gathered state (also referred to as a gathered sausage casing or shirred sausage skin). Sausage meat then issues at the open end of the filling tube and is delivered into the tubular case which has been applied to the filling tube. By portion-wise closure of the cases, for example by portion-wise twisting relative to each other or by other measures, the continuous case line is subdivided into individual sausages after having been filled with sausage meat.
To accelerate the production process the state of the art discloses filling apparatuses in which a plurality of and in particular two filling tubes are arranged on a main body which is rotatable parallel to the longitudinal axis of the filling tube and which has a receiving portion, the receiving portion being rotatable in a rotary turret-like fashion together with the filling tubes. By such an arrangement, the filling tube is equipped with a gathered tubular case and the case is properly filled in different operating positions. The step of applying the gathered tubular case to the filling tube in a so-called equipping position is further automated in apparatuses which are previously known from the state of the art. Thus, it is previously known for the gathered tubular cases to be removed from a magazine by sliders and then positioned by the grippers in front of the filling tube in such a way that such a case can be pushed on to the filling tube, by a pushing-on member in an automated procedure.
After the sausage skin casing has been pushed on to the filling tube the latter is rotated into a filling position. Filling of the gathered tubular cases is conducted in that filling position. For portion-wise filling of the tubular cases and for affording individual sausages a so-called casing braking system is also employed in the state of the art. The sausage portions are formed by dividing elements engaging into the rotating sausage string. The primary function of the casing brake is to hold the casing on the filling tube so that the casing can be firmly filled so as to be plump.
The previously known apparatuses make it possible to produce sausages at high speed in a fully automated procedure. It will be noted however that there is the disadvantage in the described state of the art that the dimensions, in particular the lengths of the gathered tubular cases (skin casings) are to be manually input by the machine operator. That not only involves a possible source of error but also increased manual involvement when using gathered tubular cases of differing lengths. In addition, the apparatuses previously known from the state of the art are only limitedly capable of monitoring the filling process. For example, it occasionally happens that, when the tubular cases are being pushed on to the filling tube, the cases are inadequately positioned, they buckle while being pushed on, or they are defective in themselves, in which respect the specified fault states are not detected in the case of previously known apparatuses. If such faults situations occur the result is frequently a production stoppage. If fault conditions are not detected immediately there is also the risk that defective sausages and thus under some circumstances reject wastage is produced.
With that background, it would be desirable to develop an apparatus and a method such that the disadvantages encountered in the state of the art are eliminated to the greatest possible degree. In particular, it would be desirable to provide an apparatus and a method which are less susceptible to faults, which permit a greater average production quantity, which involve a high level of production process reliability and which relieve the stress on the installation operator.